DEL vs RLY | Twitter ecstatic as Kohli return restores Ranji glory in Delhi as fans pack stands

‌Railway got off to a horrid start in their final Ranji Trophy 2024/25 group stage encounter against Delhi at the Arnu Jaitley Stadium as they whittled down to 21/3 against the new ball and could have been 33/4 were it not for a no-ball from Money Grewal. However, the exciting extravaganza had begun well before players took the field as one name dominated all converstaions surrounding the fixture -- Virat Kohli. The Indian veteran had last played the Ranji Trophy in November 2012 while his most recent appearance against Delhi came in September 2013 when he led the side to the runners-up spot in the NKP Salve Challenger Trophy. Content to avoid domestic cricket since as an all-format international, a slew of recent policy changes from the BCCI meant a Delhi return was no longer abstainable and the fans let him know what it meant to them.

Before the game even begun, a queue measuring over two kilometres was assembled outside the ground with entry free of cost, much like any other Ranji fixture. However, unlike the preceding encounters, the buzz around the ground had begun as early as 5 AM courtesy of fans unwilling to miss out on the opportunity of watching the highest active run-getter in current international cricket walk out from a pavilion named after him. Broadcasters had also made last-minute arrangements to showcase the match to onlookers from home and were duly rewarded as over 20 lakh people tuned in within the first hour of play itself, even though it was Railway who were batting first.

Delhi are in a must-win situation as they reel in sixth, five points off the top two and three behind Railways in Elite Group D, but all that could not matter less to Twitterati.

That is huge!

No one

Never ever

Unreal

RCB is here to rule

Power of Kohli

Fanbase

Show them

Absolute scenes

Believe it